Counting on Forever
by Echo-XIII
Summary: After hearing the news of Terra's death and attending the funeral Aqua goes into denial. She refuses to believe that Terra was gone. However a box that arrived three weeks ago has been taunting her, though she has yet to open the box after reading the letter that accompanied the box. Can Aqua finally accept that Terra is gone?


Echo: This is just a little one shot story that was inspired by the song Just a Dream by Carrie Underwood. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A beat up brown box was sitting on the counter of the kitchen. There was a small layering of dust covering the top, an indication it that been sitting there for some time. The box had arrived three weeks ago along with a letter that had been long since opened and read multiple times.

Each morning, Aqua would read the letter and then send a small glare at the box before looking away. After glaring at the box, she would pour herself a bowl of cereal and put the kettle on for a cup of tea.

When breakfast was finally out of the way, she would take a shower and then get dressed for the day. She would go out of her way to make sure she didn't look at the box until she arrived at her apartment for the night. Her gaze would settle back on the box and she would read the letter again.

Aqua knew the box was important and she knew exactly what was in that box. However, it was the contents of the letter that always stopped her from opening the box. The letter told her it was real; it reminded her that it wasn't a dream. She hated the letter, but it helped her in a strange way.

If she opened that box then everything would just become more real and she would break down. She was always the one her friends looked to for advice. She was the one who took care of them when they needed it. She was the one who helped them with school work if they had trouble.

But, she had already broken down slightly. She hadn't seen or even talked to Kairi, Sora, and Riku since two weeks ago. That may not seem like much to other people, but Aqua always went out of her way to see how her friends were.

She was always there for them when they needed her and vice versa. Though, Aqua had been ignoring their help for the past two weeks.

Settling herself down on the couch, her eyes drifted over to the box sitting on the counter. She would have to open it at some point, as much as she wanted it to just disappear with the letter.

A sigh escaped her as she glanced away from the box, looking to the clock hanging on the wall. It was only seven o'clock.

Aqua found herself reaching for her phone before she even realized it. Shaking her head slightly, she took one last glance at the box before dialing Kairi's number and hitting the call button.

She sat frozen on the couch as she listened to the ringing of the phone. Yet her thoughts were running a mile per second. It was only when Kairi's voice started coming through the phone that her thoughts stopped.

"…Kairi, it's Aqua..." She had to pull the phone away from her ear for a moment as Kairi spoke rather loudly. When the auburn haired girl on the other finally went back to speaking at a normal volume she placed the phone against her ear.

"…I'm okay, I guess. I was wondering if you could come over."

"..It's just that I need to open that box…"

"…Yeah, I haven't opened it yet. I just… I don't...No I just didn't want it to be real and I think I need to open it now..."

"…I'm sure. I think I'm finally ready to go through it and I just can't go through it by myself."

"Okay, I'll see you soon then. Thank you Kairi." With that said, the call came to an end. Aqua held then phone in her hands for a few seconds before placing it down on the coffee table in front of the couch.

Aqua ran a hand through her hair, her gaze drifting to the door of her apartment. If she looked at that box before Kairi arrived then she wouldn't be able to open it.

A half an hour later, the sound of a bell rang through the apartment, muffling the sound of the TV. Picking up the remote, Aqua turned the TV off before standing from the couch and making her way to the door.

Once she unlocked the door, Aqua opened the door. She forced herself to give Kairi a smile, even if it was a small one. Stepping aside, she gestured for Kairi to enter, closing the door once the auburn haired girl was inside.

Without a word, Aqua breathed in and out before walking over to counter in the kitchen where the box sat, Kairi following her silently. It was only when they were looking at the box that the silence was broken by Kairi.

"Are you sure, you're ready?"

Looking up from the box, Aqua nodded her head. "I'm sure. I can't ignore it any longer and I can't let it sit here any longer… T-terra he wouldn't… he wouldn't want me to live like this, in denial about everything…"

Kairi kept her gaze on Aqua, listening to what she had to say. Aqua had taken the news of Terra's death the hardest even if she hadn't really shown it. Just looking at her now, Kairi could tell that Aqua had taken the news harder than she first thought.

A few tears fell down Aqua's cheeks as she shook her head. "…I need you to open the box… I mean, I tried opening it when it first arrived, but I just… I froze up..."

Her words came to a stop when she felt Kairi's hand on her shoulder. The auburn haired girl nodded her head. Aqua was always there for her no matter what and now it was her turn to be there for Aqua.

Taking her hand off of Aqua's shoulder she dusted off the top of the box before peeling the tap off. The two remained silent as Kairi opened the box. There wasn't much of a reason for them to talk at the moment.

Once the box was opened, Kairi glanced at Aqua before taking a small step back. "It's okay to look inside…" Kairi said softly, keeping her gaze on Aqua. "You don't even have to look, if you don't want too…"

Aqua kept her gaze on the box as she shook her head. "..I… I know, but I-I need to look. If I d-don't do it now then…I won't be able to ever look at it…" It was obvious by her voice that she was holding back tears.

Taking a few breaths, Aqua waited a moment before reaching into the box. Her fingers wrapped around a smooth piece of metal and she knew what it was before she even pulled it out of the box. A sad smile appeared on her face as she opened her hand, revealing a bronze star charm that was hanging from a broken chain.

It was the wayfinder that she had made for Terra just before he left. The charm was supposed to keep him safe, remind him that she was always with him, and it was supposed to bring him home safe and sound. Apparently, even good luck charms had limits.

Aqua hadn't even realized the tears running down her cheeks until a tissue entered her line of sight. Blinking, she looked over at Kairi before taking the tissue with her free hand. "Thank you." Aqua said as she wiped away her tears with the tissue.

"You're welcome."

As soon as Aqua had pulled out the wayfinder, Kairi had noticed the tears. Thankfully, Aqua always kept a box of tissues on the coffee table. She left Aqua's side for a moment to grab the box. It would be good to have them nearby. Aqua was bound to shed more tears as she went through the box.

Aqua held onto the wayfinder for a moment longer before placing it gently down beside the box. "Remind me to get a new chain for the wayfinder…"

Kairi nodded her head before responding. "I will."

Taking a breath, Aqua started at the box for a minute before reaching in and pulling out a beige envelope. Looking at it with slight confusion, Aqua turned it over and opened it. Inside the envelope were several pictures. At least four of them were of Terra and Aqua. The other pictures included their entire group of friends. A few were just Terra and Ventus as well Aqua. The last picture, though on an old Polaroid film were obviously new.

The picture was of Terra, Ventus, Roxas, and Axel. Whoever had taken the picture had caught the four by surprise. They were playing a card game and looked like they were laughing at some joke. It was a good picture of Terra.

With a small smile on her face, Aqua turned the picture so Kairi could see it. Kim smiled as she looked at the picture. "It's a nice picture of them" Aqua said, her voice slightly shaky.

"It really is. You should show this one to the others next time you see them."

"…Yeah, I'm sure they would like to see it…"

With one last look at the picture, Aqua set it down with the rest. She waited a moment before reaching into the box, pulling out the final item. It was at the sight of Terra's clothing in her hand, that Aqua finally broke down crying. The clothing in her hands made it all the more real, for it was the clothing that Terra had been wearing when Aqua had gone to see him off.

Terra was gone and he wasn't coming back.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Echo: And that's the end. I don't really like the ending much and I want to add more to it, but my mind refuses to work with me. Anyway, I hope you liked it so please review and tell me what you think.


End file.
